Oregon baseball: The Ducks qualify for the NCAA Tournament, open against Connecticut

Norm Maves Jr./Special to The OregonianOregon catcher Eddie Rodriguez raises his hands in joy at the reaction to Oregon's announcement at The Cooler in Eugene Monday. KC Serna is to his left, pitcher Geoff Nichols is in the middle background and J.J. Altobelli is on the right.The Oregon Ducks, in only the second season after resurrecting their baseball program, earned an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament and will face Connecticut in Friday’s opening round of the Norwich Regional in Norwich, Conn.

The Ducks (38-22) were one of a record eight Pacific-10 Conference teams to earn regional berths into the 64-team field, joining regional hosts Arizona State and UCLA, while Oregon State, Arizona, California, Stanford and Washington State also received at-large bids.